Title

Thieves in Cyberspace: Examining Music Piracy and Copyright Law Deficiencies in Russia as It Enters the Digital Age

Abstract

The article discusses broadly the music piracy problem in Russia, the current state of Russia’s copyright laws, and how its laws and problems compare to the U.S. and the rest of the world. In particular, the article focuses on music piracy through the Internet and how it has exploded in Russia. One of the websites I target is the infamous Allofmp3.com, which has attracted a large amount of U.S. attention in recent times by consumers as well as lawmakers. The article analyzes the legislative and enforcement deficiencies in Russia that led to the enormous problem with traditional music piracy and that led to the rise of Internet piracy. The article also analyzes the recent attempt by international organizations to prosecute Allofmp3.com for copyright infringement and why that attempt failed. Finally, the article discusses what steps need to be taken by the United States and copyright owners to remedy the growing problem in Russia.

Disciplines

Comparative and Foreign Law | Computer Law | Intellectual Property Law | International Law | Internet Law

Date of this Version

July 2005